Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller announces the iPad Mini during Apple's special event at the California Theatre in San Jose on Tuesday. Anticipation built Tuesday as Apple unwrapped its "iPad Mini," launching a foray into the crowded market of smaller tablet computers dominated by Amazon, Google, and Samsung.

Philip "Phil" Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple Inc., discusses the iPad Mini during an event in San Jose. Apple Inc. introduced a smaller version of the iPad designed to keep customers from buying low-cost tablets from competitors Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc. and Google Inc.

Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide product marketing Phil Schiller announces the new iPad Mini during an Apple special event at the historic California Theater in San Jose. The iPad Mini is Apple's smaller version of the iPad tablet.

Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide product marketing Phil Schiller announces the new iPad Mini during an Apple special event at the historic California Theater in San Jose. The iPad Mini is Apple's smaller version of the iPad tablet.

Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide product marketing Phil Schiller announces the new iMac during an Apple special event at the historic California Theater on October 23, 2012 in San Jose, California. Apple is expected to introduce a smaller, less expensive version of the iPad.

Philip "Phil" Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple Inc., unveils the MacBook Pro during an event in San Jose, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. Apple Inc. introduced a 13-inch MacBook Pro with a high-definition display and thinner profile, as the company adds more features to its line of computer notebooks.

Attendees line up to enter an Apple Inc. event in San Jose, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. Apple Inc. is taking the wraps off a smaller iPad today, betting that a less expensive version of its tablet computer will help the company fend off competitors including Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc. and Google Inc. (Noah Berger / Bloomberg)

Attendees line up to enter an Apple Inc. event in San Jose,...

Attendees line up to enter an Apple Inc. event in San Jose,... Photo-3633496.51233 - SFGate

Image 15 of 15

Members of the media wait outside of the California Theater for an Apple event in San Jose on Tuesday. Apple is holding an event Tuesday to announce new products. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP)

Members of the media wait outside of the California Theater for an...

Members of the media wait outside of the California Theater for an... Photo-3633501.51233 - SFGate